artichoke

American  

[ahr-ti-chohk] / ˈɑr tɪˌtʃoʊk /

noun

artichokes plural

1. a tall, thistlelike composite plant, Cynara scolymus, native to the Mediterranean region, of which the numerous scalelike bracts and receptacle of the immature flower head are eaten as a vegetable.

2. the large, rounded, closed flower head itself.

3. Jerusalem artichoke.

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artichoke British  

/ ˈɑːtɪˌtʃəʊk /

noun

1. Also called: globe artichoke.  a thistle-like Eurasian plant, Cynara scolymus, cultivated for its large edible flower head containing many fleshy scalelike bracts: family Asteraceae (composites)

2. the unopened flower head of this plant, which can be cooked and eaten

3. See Jerusalem artichoke

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• artichokes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of artichoke

1525–35; < Upper Italian articiocco, variant (by dissimilation) of arciciocco, arcicioffo < *arcarcioffo < Old Spanish alcarchofa < dialectal Arabic al-kharshūf the artichoke

Explanation

An artichoke is an edible plant with many leaves and a tender, delicious heart. Some people like to dip their artichoke leaves in melted butter. The artichoke you can buy in the supermarket is called a "globe artichoke," and it's specially cultivated to be tasty. Artichokes are actually a kind of thistle, or a prickly, flowering plant. The part of an artichoke that's edible has to be picked before it blooms, or it becomes too tough to eat. The word comes from the Northern Italian articiocco, with its Arabic root word, al-hursufa.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

artichoke artichokes

Jerusalem artichoke soup arrives earthy and thick, built for thawing.

From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2026

It is not uncommon to puree this soup, but generally each bowl would then be garnished with a whole oyster or two and some chunkier bits of artichoke.

From Salon ● Nov. 7, 2024

My most recent one is a tortino di carciofi — a spiral omelet with an artichoke in the middle that I eat at Trattoria Sostanza in Florence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2024

"We're now in a situation where we have a full-on drought," says Xavier Oliva, an artichoke farmer who owns land just outside the city.

From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2024

In the pampas of Argentina and Uruguay, the voyaging Charles Darwin discovered hundreds of square miles strangled by feral artichoke.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Ready to splurge, I ordered squid-ink gnocchi, Dover sole with artichokes and an ethereal persimmon sorbet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026

Italian restaurant-goers were advised to ditch steak and potatoes to try “authentic” Italian food like artichokes, and the “peculiarly seasoned tomato sauce.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2025

Additionally, it can be found in beans, artichokes, and sweet potatoes, and in fermented foods such as sourdough bread, as well as miso, kimchi, and sauerkraut.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 22, 2024

It comes down to the two main ingredients: oysters and artichokes pairing so exceptionally well.

From Salon ● Nov. 7, 2024

There were jars of artichokes and hearts of palm.

From "The Dead and the Gone" by Susan Beth Pfeffer